Electronic Health Records as Experiential Learning Tools in Nursing Informatics Education
Overview
This discussion post analyzes the Kleib et al. (2021) study on the effectiveness of simulated electronic health records (EHRs) as teaching tools for nursing students. The author argues that experiential EHR learning is feasible and essential for developing informatics competencies, enabling nursing graduates to leverage clinical data for improved decision-making and patient care quality.
What this reflection paper covers
- Introduction and context: nursing informatics students' need for EHR knowledge and the study's research methodology using pretest-posttest design and focus groups
- Analysis of findings: simulated EHRs as feasible tools for teaching informatics skills to undergraduate nursing students in Western Canada
- Discussion of implications: how EHR education improves nursing practice, workforce quality, and entry-to-practice proficiencies in digital healthcare settings
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Discussion Post – Advanced Practice Nurse
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Discussion Post – Advanced Practice Nurse
The study article by Kleib et al. (2021) investigated the effectiveness of electronic health records (EHR) as an experiential, learner-focused teaching tool in enabling students to acquire and implement informatics knowledge. Nurse informatics students without previous knowledge or experience with EHR systems in a healthcare setting need help to leverage patient information to guide clinical decision-making (Murray, 2018). Given the importance of providing nurse informatics students with hands-on and experiential learning opportunities, the study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of EHRs as an instruction tool. The authors used one-group pretest-posttest, questionnaires, and focus groups to assess the effectiveness of a simulated EHR in teaching volunteer students in an undergraduate nursing program in Western Canada. Analyses of research results revealed that simulated EHRs are feasible and suitable for developing the informatics skills of nursing students.
Implementing EHR systems in providing experiential knowledge to nursing students will help improve nursing practice by increasing graduates’ knowledge and understanding of informatics. Nursing informatics programs that equip learners with hands-on knowledge and skills in EHR systems and computerized documentation will help improve the quality of the workforce (Kleib et al., 2021). The profession will benefit from more nurses leveraging the vast amount of clinical data in EHR systems to guide clinical decision-making and improve the quality of care.